I try to be a non complainer. But one thing that really frustrates me is traffic tickets. Part of the reason they make me mad is that I'm basically a really safe driver. And I'm on the road a lot, being that I drive for lyft and uber. The last ticket I got was in July. I went to court on October 4, the day I was supposed to, and was told that the officer had not yet filed the case. I thought that meant the case was closed, and they said only if he doesn't file it from a year when he wrote the ticket. Sure enough, I got the ticket 2 weeks later. Either I have to pay the fine (almost $300, plus a fee to eligible for traffic school and traffic school itself.) Or I can fight the ticket. I have to go to court and get a date to come back, and most likely the officer will be there.
People used to say, "Just show up and if he doesn't show up you don't have to pay." But the last two times I've gone to court to fight the ticket the officers showed up. The first ticket I deserved, and I paid it. I tried to argue out the second one but the judge had no pity on me.
Anyways, this ticket I got in July is bogus. I wasn't going that fast. It was in Bodega Bay, and the guy was sitting in his car just a little past the 25 mph speed zone. He said that I was going 38, which still really isn't that fast. I would argue that I was coming down from the hill and that he clocked me before I passed the 25 mph sign. But I have a feeling if he's in court I will have to pay.
Some guy I met at the flea market told me that Ticket Crushers really works! You just go to a lawyer and pay them 100 bucks and usually they get you out of it. I'm not sure if they have that out here, and I would really love to hear from people about their experiences with that. I know for the most part cops are just doing their jobs like everyone else. But bogus traffic tickets are abhorrent and should be frowned upon by the system. But they aren't because they provide revenue.
